Former World Cup winner Kaka has spoken of his relationship with current Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and the influence the Portuguese coach had on his career.

The duo were together a Real Madrid whilst Los Blancos president Florentino Perez was in the midst of shaping up his second Galactico era at the club.

Kaka joined the Madrid giants for a reported €68.5 million in the summer of 2009 and Jose Mourinho followed a year later.

The 32-year-old, however, never regained his form which won him the Ballon d’Or with Milan in 2007 and Portuguese coach Mourinho often left him out of the Real Madrid XI – favouring the likes of Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria.

Despite his decline on the field, Kaka felt that self-proclaimed Special One had a positive impact on his life and told reporters yesterday how the Blues boss helped him mature into a man.

Tom Thorogood

I'm a 25 year old language teacher and writer based out in Mexico with a passion for football and swimming. I like to focus on the top European Leagues, especially La Liga, as well as the footballing development in Central and South America. My favourite teams include Derby County, Barcelona and Jagaures de Chiapas.